Ch. 2: Call me Clicky
The resounding clang of blades echo as Leo and Karai duel across the urban sprawl.
Leo retreats, backing across the rooftop as Karai lashes out aggressively, her blade SMASHING against Leo's again and again in an epic display of unbridled rage.
"Why. Won't. You. Just. Die?!"
Karai slashes at Leo only for Leo to backflip off the rooftop, swinging off a fire escape in mid fall and landing safely in an alleyway down below.
Karai drops down in front of him, pointing her blade at him once more.
"Stop it, Karai. This isn't you?"
"What are you talking about? Of course this is me!"
"No, it's not. Shredder may want you to believe you're this ruthless ninja, but I know that deep down you're a good person. I believe in you."
Leo drops his blades.
Karai stares in shock.
Leo smiles.
"I trust you."
Karai continues staring before her face contorts in rage.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Karai levels her blade and lunges at Leo.
Leo's eyes widen in shock as the point of the blade hurtles towards his exposed neck. Too fast to dodge. Too close to avoid.
Karai's blade is almost upon him when-
WHAM!
A tall figure comes in from nowhere and SLAMS into Karai, hurling her across the alleyway right into a brick wall.
Leo falls backward to the ground as he stares up at the figure.
Over seven feet tall with yellow-green skin. Four arms extend from her insectoid torso, two tipped with five fingered claws and two with razor sharp scythes. Definitely some kind of mantis mutant if Leo had to guess, but the strangest thing of all is the belt around her waist which is completely decorated with weird looking dolls, each with something strange where the head should be.
As Leo stares, the mantis mutant's head twists to face him. She stares at him with multi-faceted, red eyes before—
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh!"
She lunges towards him with a shriek of delight, her short insectoid wings carrying her through the air before she scoops up Leo in a massive, bone crushing hug.
"Oh, Leo! I was soooo worried! Did that mean, ugly, getting-fat-from-too-much-sushi Karai hurt you?"
"Uh. No. What? Who are you?"
The mutant drops him.
"Oops. Silly me. I should probably introduce myself. My name's—"
She SCREECHES, her mouth uttering fourth a series of insectoid clicking noises.
"But you can call me Clicky. Or, if you wanna skip the formalities, you can call me…"
She drapes herself into Leo's arms, her clawed hands stroking his face.
"Yours."
Leo stares at her, completely freaked out.
"Uh, well, thanks for saving me."
He drops her, causing her to land with a THUD.
"It was great meeting you, but I really should—"
He turns to leave only for Clicky to pop up right in front of him.
"Bah!"
Clicky laughs.
"Don't play coy with me, Leo-kinz. You may not remember it, but we met a loooong time ago."
Leo stares.
"We did?"
"Oh, yeah."
FLASHBACK
A tiny, regular mantis sits on a flower next to a sidewalk.
"It was a long, long time ago, back when I was just a regular mantis."
The mantis looks down below the flower where a headless mantis corps twitches on the ground.
"I had just ended a relationship with my then boyfriend, Tony, and was searching for new love. And that's when I saw you."
An explosion BLASTS a car on the other side of the street.
Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Donnie battle across the street against an army of Kraang droids.
"You didn't see me at the time because you were a little preoccupied, but I definitely saw you."
The tiny mantis looks in awe.
Across the street everything turns to a pink tinted slow motion as Leo's katana fly through the air.
"You were everything I had ever wanted. Sharp, skillful blades. A hard, toned carapace. And best of all, a beautiful, perfectly shaped head."
Everything goes back to regular speed as the turtles fight on.
"You were every mantis girl's dream, but unfortunately there was a sliiiiight problem."
A Kraang droid head SLAMS down right next to where Clicky stands on the flower, the regular sized head dwarfing her by comparison.
"I was small."
Mantis Clicky stands on a rooftop staring down at Leo on the streets below as he faces off against Karai
"For weeks I followed you, pining away for our forbidden love and watching as that nasty Karai girl tried to snatch you away from me. I prayed for something, anything that could fix the size gap that kept us apart. And then one night my prayers were finally answered."
A vile of mutagen CRASHES down behind Clicky, shattering and spewing mutagen all over her.
BACK TO PRESENT
Clicky stands holding Leo bridle style with her two right arms as her left arms gesture triumphantly to the sky.
"It was a gift from above. In one fell swoop I was transformed into the tall, ravishing creature that stands before you ready to finally embrace our fated love in holy matrimony!"
"WHAT?!"
Clicky drops Leo to the ground as she squeals in excitement.
"Ooooooh, can't you just imagine how romantic our wedding will be?"
"Hey! Freak show!"
Clicky turns to the side where Karai stands glaring angrily at her.
"Hate to break up the love fest, but if you don't mind I have a turtle to end."
Clicky growls before turning to Leo with a sweet smile.
"Could you wait here for just oooone second, Sweetie. Karai and I need to have a little chat."
She turns to Karai, swinging out her scythes with furious growl.
"He's mine!"
She lunges.
Leo watches as Clicky and Karai cross swords and scythes, their shadows dancing across his confused and horrified face.
"Uh, yeah, so, while you two do that I'm, uh, I'm just gonna…go."
As Leo talks he quickly slides open a manhole cover, ducking inside before disappearing into the sewers.
Clicky calls over her shoulder.
"What was that, Leo-honey?"
She looks over her shoulder only to notice Leo gone.
"Leo?"
A kick SLAMS her across the face.
Back at the lair, Mikey, Donnie, Raph, and April sit around the TV enthralled in the latest episode of Super Robo Mecha Force Five.
On screen, the Mighty Super Robo Mecha floats in space as two massive armies careen towards it on either side.
Inside Captain Coolstar stands with his arms crossed resolutely as his crew stands around him.
"Captain Coolstar!" shouts Dr. Blip frantically. "What are we going to do?! Both the Gundalien and the Squeposian forces have come to destroy us!"
Inside the Gundalien ship their evil captain stands mightily upon the bridge.
"We, the Gundaliens, shall be the one to destroy the Super Robo Mecha Force Five!"
On the Squeposian ship, their evil captain also stands mightily upon the bridge.
"No! It is we, the Squeposians, who shall do the destroying of the Super Robo Mecha Force Five!"
"No, you won't!"
"Yes, we will!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Princess slaps her hands to the sides of her face.
"It is such super bad, sad times for all!"
Donnie and April sit next to each other on the couch as images continue to flash across the screen.
Donnie turns to April.
"More popcorn?"
Donnie holds out the bowl as April reaches a hand in.
As she eats the popcorn, Donnie stares at her with dreamy eyes, absorbing her radiant beauty.
Just then Mikey flips over the couch and plops down between them.
"Don't mind if I do."
He grabs a handful of popcorn, and munches away as Donnie glares.
As Donnie continues to express his aggravation at the unexpected intrusion, Leo walks into the lair looking extremely confused.
Master Splinter emerges from the kitchen holding a cup of tea and notices his eldest son's expression.
"What is wrong, my son? You look troubled."
Everyone in the room turns to Leo as Donnie flicks off the TV.
"You okay, Leo?" asks Donnie.
"I guess."
"What do you mean 'you guess?'" asks Raph skeptically.
"I was up top fighting Karai when—"
"Woah, woah, woah!" says Raph, standing. "You fought Karai?"
"Are you hurt?" asks Donnie, hurrying over to check Leo out.
"No, I'm fine." says Leo. "This mantis mutant girl saved me…and then said she wanted to marry me."
Everyone stands silent before—
"BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA~!"
The entire room erupts into laughter.
"It's not funny!" shouts Leo.
"You're right." says Raph, clutching his sides. "It's hilarious!"
"Leo and mantis girl, sitting in a tree~!"
"Shut up, Mikey! This is serious! She could be dangerous!"
"Wow, Leo." says April, snickering. "First Karai, then this new girl?"
"You've got some strange taste in women, bro." says Raph, smirking.
"What's this girl's name anyway?" asks Mikey.
"She called herself Clicky." replies Leo.
"Hmph. That's a dumb name. I would have called her 'Man Eater' or 'Manta-sister!'"
Leo turns to Splinter with pleading eyes.
"Master Splinter, surely you see the danger here."
Master Splinter turns away smiling.
"I am sorry my son. I can prepare you for many threats, but a love struck young lady is something even I am not prepared to handle."
Leo looks at him, defeated, as his brothers continue laughing.
Splinter puts a hand around his shoulder.
"I sense there is something else troubling you."
Leo looks down hesitant.
"It's Karai. I always believed there was good in her, but what if I was wrong? What if she really is just as evil as Shredder?"
Splinter closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
"It is true that Karai has received great influence from the Shredder."
He looks at Leo.
"But we can never give up hope. You must always trust that there is good in someone even if they give you no reason to believe."
"…Hai, sensei." says Leo, uncertain.
Back at Shredder's lair, Karai enters in a foul mood.
Fishface and Raazar look up from their card game.
"Ah, greetings, Karai." says Fishface walking over to her. "How went the hunt?"
Karai grabs him by one of his protruding fangs, and throws him to the floor.
Fishface rubs his jaws.
"I take it not well."
"What's the matter?" says Raazar. "Trouble dealing with your boyfriend?"
"Shut up!" yells Karai. "I had the perfect chance to finish him off until this love crazed, mutant freak got in my way!"
"Oooooh, sounds like someone's got some competition."
Karai glares.
WHAM!
Raazar flies to the floor curtesy of a swift kick to the head by Karai.
She angrily marches off.
Karai walks into her room. Unlike the rest of the stone and metal base, hers is decorated like a traditional Japanese dojo with a small cot in the corner.
Slowly, she makes her way to the back of the room where a small shrine rests, atop which sits the torn photograph of her mother set in a mahogany frame.
She kneels down before the shrine, taking a long look at the photograph.
She takes a deep breath.
And closes her eyes as she begins her meditation.
All is calm as she stills herself, blocking out all thoughts…
Shredder may want you to believe you're this ruthless ninja, but I know that deep down you're a good person.
Karai flinches as Leo's voice echoes across her mind.
She tries to still herself again before a new voice intrudes upon her meditation.
A true ninja cannot afford to show mercy.
FLASHBACK
Karai charges across the throne room at Shredder, her blade drawn.
Shredder stares her down as she approaches.
She thrusts her blade.
Shredder sidesteps her attack and responds with a powerful kick sending her rolling and skidding across the throne room floor.
"You hesitated." says Shredder as he crosses the room to stand over her.
"For a ninja to show any sign of hesitation or mercy is a sign of weakness. You must steel your resolve. And strike!"
Karai's fist pounds the floor of her room.
She crosses the room and opens a large wardrobe filled with weapons and equipment.
She grabs item after item, stashing them in her belt before placing her metal facemask over the lower half of her face.
She lifts up her blade, briefly glancing at the steely eyed reflection, before sheathing it at her side.
Karai exits her room causing Raazar and Fishface to stare at her.
"And where do you think you're going?" asks Raazar.
"Hunting." replies Karai, her tone flat and resolved. "Leo and I have some unfinished business."
"Do you require any assistance?" asks Fishface.
"No." says Karai standing in the doorway with her back to the two stooges.
"When Leo falls…it will be by my blade."
She steps through the doorway into the darkness as the metal doors slam shut behind her.
Author's Note: Hi hi everyone! That concludes the second chapter of Lethal Love. Told you it would be way longer than the first one. The next chapter will be airing soon. Hope you liked it!